The starter Pokemon of Pokemon Sun and MoonRowlet, Litten and Popplio all offer adorable looks and strong fighting qualities, but only one can be the best. Pokemon has been the ultimate time-sink gaming franchise for over two decades now, and the important choice of starter Pokemon has remained unchanged for all that time. Starters of each generation all typically go on to become favorite Pokemon, however Sun and Moon You have a clear best option among them.
Generation 7 brought Pokemon Sun and Moon to the Nintendo 3DS, and introduced over 80 new Pokémon for players to catch, in addition to the extradimensional creatures known as Ultra Beasts. In keeping with tradition, the game offers three starter Pokemon for people to choose from. In this case, they can choose between Grass-type Pokemon Rowlet, Water-type Popplio, or Fire-type Litten. Of course, every new generation triggers fierce discussion about which starter Pokemon is best, and the Gen 7 games are no different in that regard.
The choice of Rowlet gives people an all-round partner
The grass-type starter offers a smooth start to any game
Rowlet is often seen as the easiest Pokemon for Sun and Moon Players to start withEspecially when you consider the amount of Bug and Water-type Pokemon found in The early game. As a partial flying-type, Rowlet also has a notable advantage in being the only starter Pokemon in the franchise to have a type immunity in its first stage – specifically, an immunity against ground-type moves. The downsides of choosing the Grass Quill Pokémon only become more apparent as the game progresses, however.
When fully evolved, Decidueye has the most immunity of any Gen 7 starter evolution, specifically two against normal and fighting-type moves. However, it also has the most weaknesses, with five types (Flying, Ghost, Fire, Ice, and Dark) dealing double damage to it. These weaknesses in turn can severely limit its effectiveness in battle in a wide range of situations, with notable examples including the battles against Acerola and Kahili in the Pokemon League.
It is also worth noting that The base stats of both Rowlet and his evolution can leave something to be desired. Rowlet has the highest HP stat (68) among his fellow Gen 7 starters, but after all three have evolved, Deciduye’s base 78 HP stat is comparatively the lowest. In fact, while Decidueye can be considered a decent all-rounder, nearly all of its base stats are lower than one or both of its competing starters, except for its Speed stat (70, compared to the shared 60 of Primarina and Incineroar).
Choosing Popplio gives players more of a challenge
The water-type can find some early-game situations difficult
As a water type, Popplio can provide a slight increase in difficulty in the earlier stages of Pokemon Sun and Moon When compared to Rowlet. While Rowlet resists fighting-type moves, Popplio takes the normal amount of damage, which can make the Grand Trial battle against Hala more challenging. Likewise, Popplio and Brooklet Hill’s Water-type Pokémon (including the totem wishwashi at the center of Lana’s trial) can tend to draw out battles with their mutually ineffective Water-type moves, especially as Popplio is unable to Learn ice-type moves in the original Pokemon Sun and Moon By leveling up.
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Popplio’s loreset has changed over the generations, with his use of Icy Wind being one of the more notable changes. in Ultra Sun and Ultra MoonPopplio learns this move at level 16, and later generations adjusted the requirement to level 15. However, Popplio can only learn Ice-type moves through TM in Pokemon Sun and MoonAnd the same applies to her evolutions. Furthermore, although Popplio’s evolutionary line can prove very effective against the later fire- and dragon-type trials, reaching this point takes patience.
In terms of base stats, Popplio is clearly specialized for non-physical battle. The vast majority of its natural learning set consists of special attacks, supported by the best Special Attack and Special Defense stats of the three Alolan starters. This trend continues throughout its evolutionary range, with Primarina’s base stats finally reaching 126 and 116 respectively; Beating not only the other evolved starters’ own Special Attack and Special Defense, but also their comparative Attack and Defense base stats. Combined with its immunity to Dragon-types and weaknesses to Poison-, Grass-, and Electric-types, it offers a well-balanced challenge as a first partner.
Litten offers a rough start to a player’s journey
The fire type grows in its true strength with time
Players who choose based on looks often opt for the cute fire-type starter liten, but since many early opponents in Pokemon Sun and Moon are water types, Litten can struggle at the beginning of the game. With that said, the abilities of Litten’s evolved forms, Torracat and Incineroar, ultimately make Litten a very strong fighter in the long run. Not only does the later addition of a Dark Secondary typing give Incineroar an immunity to Psychic-type moves, but his own stats and loreset have proven to be incredibly powerful.
Specialized in physical moves like Popplio’s evolutionary family is for special attacks, Incineroar has a base attack stat of 115. Combined with its fire-type stab, this gives Incineroar’s 120-power Flare Lightning move serious damage potential. moreover, Access to moves like U-Turn and Snarl through TM have allowed Incineroar to remain a valuable and versatile Pokemon in competitive playEspecially when combined with his hidden ability Intimidate (although starter liten of Sun and Moon will not be able to gain access to their hidden abilities without transferring to a more recent game where Ability Patches are available to use).
Why Litten is the best starter in Pokemon Sun and Moon
The true potential of the Fire Cat Pokémon is undeniably powerful
Litten’s undeniable strength as it grows and evolves outweighs any early difficulties it may encounterEspecially with the support of a team behind it to tackle Sun and MoonIt’s many challenges. From starting out as a cute Pokemon to becoming a powerful partner for any trainer, Litten has a lot to offer at any stage of Pokemon Sun and MoonAs well as beyond the game’s confines in competitive settings. Incineroor himself maintained his own popularity not only in tournaments, but also as a character, and even went on to be a fighter in Super Smash Bros Ultimate.
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Of course, the position of best starter Pokemon includes a strong element of personal preference. But on paper, while Rowlet is a cute Pokemon with good qualities, in the long run it’s not quite as a fighter in Pokemon Sun and Moon. Likewise, Popplio has a cheerful adorability to accompany its good mix of strengths and weaknesses, but it still doesn’t look like a strong contender in the Late game like Litten. And while Litten itself has a relatively tough time starting out, it’s arguably the best option in the long run considering Incineroar’s capabilities.